Grief Literacy: 

A Six-Week Live Online Training

Understanding grief as a whole human experience

Grief can affect how we think, feel, relate, remember, make decisions and experience our bodies. It can reshape identity, relationships and our sense of the future.

Yet many people reach grief with very little language for understanding what is happening.

Track 1 Grief Literacy Training offers six weeks of thoughtful, connected learning about grief as an emotional, physical, relational, cultural and deeply human experience.

 

Fall 2026 schedule

Six consecutive Wednesdays
October 21, 28
November 4, 11, 18 and 25

7:30–9:00 PM Mountain Time
Live online

Tuition

$975 CAD

<Register HERE>

 

What is grief literacy?

 

Grief literacy is the capacity to recognize, understand and respond to grief with greater knowledge, compassion and contextual awareness.

It includes understanding:

•  The many ways grief may appear
•  How loss affects the body and nervous system
•  How grief can reshape identity and personal story
•  How family, culture, community and spirituality influence grief
•  Why people grieve differently
•  How language and expectations can either support or complicate the experience
• How grief may be carried and integrated across time

Grief literacy gives people a broader and more humane way to understand experiences that are often confusing, isolating or misunderstood.

 

Who is this training for?

 

Grief Literacy & Integration welcomes people approaching grief from personal, community or professional perspectives.

 This training may be especially meaningful for:

• People seeking to understand their own experiences of grief and loss
• Family members and caregivers supporting someone through loss or profound change
• People who regularly encounter grief in their work
• Massage therapists, doulas, wellness practitioners and other helping professionals
• Hospice and community volunteers
• Educators and community leaders
• People considering future learning in grief education
• Anyone wanting greater confidence and clarity when grief enters a conversation or relationship

 

Previous grief education or healthcare experience is unnecessary.

Curiosity, reflection and a willingness to engage thoughtfully are enough to begin.

 

What we will explore

 

Week 1 — Understanding Grief

We begin by examining grief as a natural adaptive response to loss.

Participants will explore:

• What grief is and the many forms it may take
• Emotional and physical responses to loss
• Common expectations and misconceptions
• The influence of context on the grief experience
• Personal, familial and cultural beliefs about grieving

This first week creates a shared foundation and a wider language for understanding grief.

 

Week 2 — The Body and Nervous System in Grief

Grief is experienced throughout the body.

This session explores:

• How loss can affect energy, attention, sleep and physical sensation
• Nervous system responses during grief
• Experiences of activation, numbness, overwhelm and exhaustion
• Emotional pacing and capacity
• Grounding and somatic awareness
• Supportive ways of responding to the body during grief

Participants will begin identifying practices that support steadiness and self-awareness.

 

Week 3 — Story, Identity and Loss

Loss can change the story we understood ourselves to be living.

This session explores:

• The relationship between grief and identity
• How roles and relationships shape our sense of self
• The loss of imagined futures
• Internal and external stories about grief
• Family and cultural narratives
• Gentle approaches to reflection and meaning-making

Participants will consider how identity and personal narrative may evolve after loss.

 

Week 4 — Cultural and Spiritual Pathways of Grief

Every experience of grief occurs within a larger context.

This session explores:

• Cultural influences on grief and its expression
• Family and community expectations
• Spiritual beliefs and practices
• Ritual, remembrance and continuing bonds
• Gendered and generational messages about grief
• Cultural humility when accompanying experiences different from our own

The emphasis is on curiosity, respect and the recognition that grief has no single universal expression.

 

Week 5 — Meaning and Growth

Loss can change what matters, what feels possible and how life is understood.

This session explores:

• Meaning-making as an evolving process
• Changes in values, priorities and identity
• The complexity of growth following loss
• The pressure to find meaning too quickly
• Resistance, uncertainty and changing perspectives
• The relationship between grief and continuing life

Participants are invited to explore meaning without requiring a particular conclusion or outcome.

 

Week 6 — Integration Practices

The final session brings the six weeks of learning together.

Participants will explore:

• The difference between integration and “moving on”
• Continuing bonds with people, places, roles and former ways of life
• Reflection and remembrance practices
• Ritual and personal expression
• Emotional and somatic supports
• Creating a personal approach to living with grief over time

Integration recognizes that grief can remain part of a life while the life continues to grow around it.

 

The learning experience

This course offers clear teaching with guided reflection and group conversation.

Participants are invited to:

• Listen and learn
• Ask questions
• Consider the material in relation to their own lives or work
• Participate in discussion at a level that feels appropriate
• Respect the experiences and privacy of others
• Approach differences with curiosity and cultural humility

Personal sharing is always a choice. There is room to participate quietly and thoughtfully.

 

Educational scope

Track 1 is an educational program offered within CSPE’s non-medical scope.

The training supports understanding, language, reflection and grief-informed human connection. It does not provide medical care, psychotherapy, counselling, diagnosis or treatment.

Participants experiencing grief may also choose to access personal, cultural, spiritual, community or professional supports that fit their needs.

 

Recordings and completion

• Session recordings will be added to the course portal as soon as reasonably possible after each live class.
• All six recordings will remain available until December 2, 2026, one week after the final session.
• Participants may complete the training through live attendance, recording review or a combination of both.
• Certificate of completion
• Participants who complete all six sessions will receive a:
• Certificate of Completion in Grief Literacy

Completion may be fulfilled through:

• Live attendance
• Review of a session recording
• A combination of live attendance and recording review

All session review must be completed by December 2, 2026.

The certificate recognizes completion of this CSPE educational training. It is not a professional designation, regulated credential or guarantee of credit toward a future CSPE program.

 

CSPE’s longer professional education programs remain in development. Updated information about future grief education offerings will be shared when those programs are ready to open.

 

Grief Literacy & Integration
October 21 to November 25, 2026
Wednesdays, 7:30–9:00 PM Mountain Time
Live online

Tuition: $975 CAD

Registration closes on  October 18/26.

After this date, please contact CSPE directly to ask about remaining space and late registration.

Tuition is paid in full at registration.

[REGISTER Here]

Late Registration inquiries and general questions about the training are welcome.

[CONTACT CSPE]